Posts Tagged ‘Gaudi’
Jun 4th, 2010
Casa Mila
By Ken Broman
Tapas of the day: Bomba and Chorizo Gallego. Both were delicious. Oh, and a huge pitcher of sangria, strong like Mel makes it (Irene is drunk, shh…).
Today was the day we were going to take it easy. After hitting four museums yesterday along with the castle atop Montjuïc we were due a slow day.
We started it out with our second round of churros and chocolate of the trip. The first time the churros were hit and fresh and made-to-order but the chocate was not what I was lead to believe Spanish chocolate should be. This time the churros were lack luster but the chocolate was the thick, pudding like consistency it should be. Between the two we have had one satisfying chocolate con churro experience.
Our major tourist attraction for the day was La Pedera (Casa Mila) an apartment building designed by, you guessed it, Gaudi. We bee-lined for the roof again and then slowly worked our way down.
After we did the block of discord (as Rick Steves calls it) and then walked up the Rambla de Catalunya. Paying an expensive call on Muji (google it).
We spent the afternoon strolling down by the beach. A lot of strolling. It was hot and the beaches were full of sunbathers in various states of undress. Not that I was looking at the topless women mind you…
We made it as far down as the clothing optional section (oddly, and dissapointingly, it was mostly men who opted out) before turning around.
Irene has poured the last of the very strong sangria and I’m less than sober (I won’t say how much less) and so I will end here. Tomorrow afternoon we fly to Bilbao and then on to Basque country. See you there.
Posted in Journal Entry, Spain | No Comments
Jun 2nd, 2010
A day of Gaudi
By Ken Broman
It is a truth of any trip to Europe that something you really wanted to see will be under scaffolding. And sure enough when we got to the Sagrada Familia there was scaffolding everywhere! What a bummer!
We got there about a half hour before it’s opening time of 9am and all ready a small line had formed out front. Upon entering we immedietaly headed for the elevator on the Nativity Facade side of the cathedral. It whiskes you up one of the completed bell towers from where you can get an impressive view of Barcelona and a pretty up close look at some of Gaudi’s actual work.
The inside of the cathedral is very impressive in it’s incomplete state. It’s chaotic and noisy and a hive of workmen in active construction. What is complete is amazing. They hope to complete it in a couple of more decades.
We ate some mediocre vegie payala in the shadow of the cathedral and then took the bus up to Parc Guall, another Gaudi construction. It was packed with people and tacky crap vendors all congregating at the entrance and on the terrace overlooking the city. We didn’t linger long as it was getting late in the afternoon and we wanted to squeeze in the Picaso Museum as well.
I enjoyed this Picaso Museum much more than the one in Paris. The progression from his early representational works through to his early forays in to cubisim is very well laid out.
The weather here remains slightly overcast and in the low 80s. Very pleasent.
For dinner we took a little break from Spanish food at Udon which promised noodles & fun.
Tags: Barcelona, Gaudi, picaso
Posted in Journal Entry, Spain | 1 Comment
